San Francisco Budget and Finance Committee Meeting - February 7, 2024
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San Francisco Budget and Finance Committee Meeting - February 7, 2024
The Budget and Finance Committee, chaired by Supervisor Connie Chan, met on February 7, 2024, to consider nine agenda items including leases, grants, bond issuances, fee waivers, contracting waivers, and budget allocations. The meeting featured extensive public testimony and debate, particularly on items related to APEC relief and homeless services contracting.
Item 1: Real Property Lease – 755 and 759 South Van Ness Avenue
- Proposal: Approve a lease for office and clinic space for the Department of Public Health, with $644,931 initial annual base rent (approx. $52,000/month), through December 31, 2027, with CPI increases and an extension option.
- Action: Forwarded to full board with positive recommendation (3-0).
Item 2: Local Immigrant Integration and Inclusion Grant
- Proposal: Retroactively accept a $165,978 grant from the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development to support immigrant economic inclusion, and amend the salary ordinance to add a temporary analyst position.
- Discussion: Supervisors asked about integrating housing support and suggested including resources like City College courses and the San Francisco ID in the planned economic inclusion toolkit.
- Action: Forwarded to full board (3-0).
Item 3: Revenue Bonds – St. Ignatius College Preparatory
- Proposal: Approve issuance of up to $150 million in tax-exempt bonds for school renovations and improvements, with no city liability.
- Action: Forwarded to full board (3-0) after brief discussion. No public comments.
Item 4: Grant Agreement – Pesticide Regulation
- Proposal: Authorize the Department of Environment to accept a $321,670 grant from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation for integrated pest management in affordable housing, including the state’s dispute resolution language.
- Action: Forwarded to full board (3-0), with Vice Chair Mandelman added as co-sponsor.
Item 5: Multifamily Housing Revenue Notes – Transbay Block 2 West
- Proposal: Authorize up to $67.68 million in conduit revenue bonds for construction of a 151-unit affordable senior housing project at 200 Folsom Street, with 150 units for households earning 15–50% of AMI, including 30 units for homeless seniors.
- Action: Forwarded to full board with Vice Chair Mandelman as co-sponsor (3-0).
Item 6: Waiver of Temporary Street Space Occupancy Permit Fee – Lunar New Year
- Proposal: Waive fees for sidewalk sales in Chinatown from January 27 to February 10, 2024, costing the city an estimated $16,000.
- Amendment: Chair Chan moved to add “retroactive” language to the title; approved unanimously.
- Action: Forwarded to full board as amended (3-0).
Item 7: Extending Contracting Waivers for Homeless Services
- Proposal: Extend by five years provisions allowing the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) and Public Works to enter contracts without competitive bidding for homeless services and construction.
- Discussion: Chair Chan proposed amendments limiting new contracts to two-year terms and bifurcating based on original procurement method. HSH opposed the amendments, citing need for flexibility and quick response to crises. Supervisors debated the balance between accountability and speed. Public comment was overwhelmingly in support of extension.
- Action: Motion to continue to February 14 meeting passed (3-0) to allow further negotiation.
Item 8: APEC Relief Fund and Lunar New Year Transit Supports
- Proposal (as amended): De-appropriate $3.5 million from the APEC reserve: $500,000 to SFMTA for free parking at Portsmouth Square Garage (first two hours throughout February) and free Muni on parade day (excluding cable cars), plus continued ambassador services; $3 million to OEWD for a relief fund covering SOMA businesses impacted by APEC and a new Small Business Transit Impact Relief Fund for Taraval Street merchants affected by SFMTA construction.
- Public Testimony: Over 20 speakers testified, many describing severe revenue losses (50–98%) during APEC and years of business decline on Taraval due to construction. Speakers urged support for both groups without pitting them against each other.
- Action: Motion to amend and continue to February 14 meeting passed (3-0) for final review.
Item 9: Board of Supervisors Fiscal Year 2024-2026 Budget
- Proposal: Adopt a $4.8 million budget with $330,000 in cuts including reductions to legislative accounts (from $8,000 to $5,000 per district), temporary downgrades of two positions, and increased assessment appeals revenue projections ($294,000). The budget maintains hiring authority for positions hired at lower steps.
- Action: Hearing filed and budget approved for transmittal to the mayor (3-0).
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. The meeting will come to order. Welcome to the February 7 meeting of the Budget and Finance Committee. I'm Supervisor Connie Chan, Chair of the Committee. I'm joined by Vice Chair Rafael Mendelman and Supervisor Malgar Mirna Malgar. Sorry. Our clerk, it's Brent Haliba. I would like to thank SFGov TV for broadcasting today's meeting. And that is including Janet uh Eknoff. I'm terrible this morning. My apology. Um Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcement? Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a friendly reminder to those in attendance to please make sure to silence all cell phones and electronic devices says to not to interrupt our proceedings. How should you have any documents to be included as part of the file that should be submitted to myself, the clerk? Public comment will be taken on each item on this agenda. When your item of interest comes up and public comment is called, please line up to speak on the west side of the chamber to your right, my left along those curtains. And while not required to provide public comment, we do invite you to fill out a comment card and leave them on the tray by the television to your left and by the doors. If you wish to be accurately recorded for the minutes, alternatively, you may submit public comment in writing in either of the following ways.org. If you submit public comment via email, it will be forwarded to the supervisors and also included as part of the official file. That's one Dr. Carlton B. Goodlick Place. Room 244, San Francisco, California, 94102. And finally, Madam Chair, I uh items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors Agenda of February 13th, unless otherwise stated. Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Clerk, and um let's go to uh item number one. Yes, item number one is a resolution approving and authorizing the director of property on behalf of the Department of Public Health to execute a lease agreement for continued use of office and clinic space at 755 and 759 South Van S Avenue and the adjacent parking lot with aim to as landlord uh effective upon approval of the resolution and upon execution of the lease by the director of property terminating on December 31st, 2027 at the monthly base rent of approximately 52,000 for a total annual base rent of approximately 645,000 with annual 3% to 5% CPI increases, plus one five-year ex uh five-year extension option and authorizing the director of property to enter into any amendments or modifications to the lease that do not materially increase the obligations or liabilities nor decrease the benefits to the city and are necessary or advisable to effectuate the purposes of the lease or this resolution. Madam Chair. Thank you. This item was actually continued from last week because the uh increase amount to reflect the increase of three percent of rent uh starting January. Um it's the reason why we have to continue it for one week. And with that, and let's go to public com comment on this item. Yes, we now invite members of the public have joined us today who wish to comment on this item number number one uh to line up to speak now along those windows. And uh when you come forward to the left turn, uh all speakers will be given two minutes to speak. Madam Chair, we have no speakers. Thank you. Seeing no public comments, public comment is now closed. With that, um colleague, I would like to before I make the motion to move this item forward to um full board. Mr. Clerk, is it too late that to say that we would like to uh have the public comments uh limit to one minute today? Um no. Uh yeah, we haven't set the standard yet, madam chair. We can great um let's uh limit public comments today for the for the remaining of the meeting to one minute. And with that, and would like to also move the item to full board with recommendation and with that a roll roll call, please. And on that motion to forward this ordinance to the full board with a positive recommendation, vice chair Mandelman. Aye Mandelman, I member Melgar, Malgar, I. Chair Chan.
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